Collapsible crate.



1.]. ROBEJSEK.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION men MAR. 21. 1916.

1,220,275. v Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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J. J. ROBEJSEK.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION mmmn. 27, 1916.

1,220,275. Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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at St. Paul,

nnirnn snares JOSEPH JAMES ROBEJSEK, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

COLLAPSIBLE cnar'n.

Application filed March 27, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, Josnrn JAMES R-onnJ- snn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in collapsible crates.

Its object is to provide a simple and inexpensive collapsible crate which may be quickly and easily assembled at the shipping point to form a strong and durable container for goods, and which may be easily knocked down into compact form at destination for return shipment or storage.

A further object is to provide a collapsible crate having separable sections which are interchangeable and reversible to make unnecessary the careful selection and arrangement of parts in the assembling of the crate,

and also to avoid the care which otherwise would be required in segregating said parts during return shipment or in storage.

Various other novel features of construc tion reside in my improved shipping crate Which are hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in my claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved crate with the removable heads attached to the collapsible body; Fig. 2 shows the parts of said crate in knockdown form; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the body of the crate as expanded to receive the heads; Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the locking mechanism in one of the heads, said view being taken on the lower side thereof; and Fig. 5 includes two sectional views, each taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4:, the upper view showing a central bolt in latched position and the lower view showing said bolt in unlatched position.

Referring to the drawings, I have used the reference letter A (Fig. 3) to indicate the body of my crate, which comprises end sections a and-side sections a Each of said sections consists of a-plurality of slatslO secured at their ends with cleats 11 and all of said sections are permanently connected by hinges 12 which are secured to the slats 10 at the ends of said sections a and o The cleats 11 in the side sections a are formed with uniformly spaced openings 13 therein to receive latching devices hereinafter described, and the end sections a are narrower than the side sections a as shown in Fg. 3,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917. Serial No. 86,942.

for purposes presently referred to. The heads B of the crate are identical, each comprising two pairs of cleats 1 1 and 15 (Fig. 1) laid upon a number of transverse slats 16, and secured thereto at their intersections. Said heads B are designed to be detachably secured upon the body of the crate and form closures therefor, which reinforce said body against folding or racking movements. The cleats 14 and 15 on said heads B bear at their ends upon the cleats 11 in the end sections a and, since said end sections are narrower than the side sections a as above indicated, said heads rest flush with the top and bottom edges of said side sections a The outer cleats 14 and 15 on the heads B fit snugly against the slats 10 in the side sections a of said heads fit snugly againstthe slats 10 in the end sections a. This construction firmly braces said hinged sections of the body A against folding movements and rigdly secures the same in expanded position. The heads B are secured upon the body portion A by a. number of studs 17 and latchbolts 18 adapted to be inserted in the openings 13 in the cleats 11 on the side sections o The studs 17 are attached beneath the cleats 15 on the heads B and project from the sides of said heads. The heads'may be interchanged and reversed because the studs 17 and bolts 18 are uniformly spaced to correspond with openings 13. Said studs are inserted in the openings 13 in one of the cleats 11 when a head B is applied to the body A to secure one side of said head. To co-act with the studs and secure the other side of the head, I employ the latch bolts 18 which are alined with the studs. latch bolts are rigidly attached to the under side of a latch bar 19 which slides upon the slats 16 between the cleats 14 and is held in the head by the projectionof the bolts 18 beneath. the cleats 14. These bolts may be moved into or out of the openings 13 in the adjacent side section a by shifting the latch bar 19. Finger openings 20 are formed in said bar 19 to facilitate the manipulation thereof. To prevent the accidental displace and the slats 16 at the ends- Said position. The free end of said strip 21 may be sprung inward to clear the end of said central bolt 18, after which the latch bar 19 can be shifted to release all the bolts from engagement with the side sections a To assemble the crate as a container for goods, the body A is unfolded or expanded, as shown in Fig. 3, and one of the heads B is applied thereto to form a bottom. This container is then filled and the second head is applied as a cover. In opening the crate, the heads may be easily detached by first depressing the strip 21 and then shifting the latch bar 19 to withdraw the bolts 18 from the body A whereupon said heads are free to be removed. Then the contents of the crate are removed, the body A will collapse by folding together the sections thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, and the flattened body A and heads B may then be conveniently stored or returned to the original shipping point.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a shipping crate, a collapsible body, consisting of ends and sides hinged together end-to-end, identical heads to close the body, said ends, sides and heads each comprising a plurality of slats united at their ends by cleats, the cleats on said sides being formed with uniformly spaced sets of openings therein, a plurality of studs on each head arranged to fit said openings, latch bolts on each head alined with said studs and adapted to be inserted into openings opposite those in which their companion studs are placed and means to secure said bolts in said openings.

2. In a shipping crate, a collapsible body, consisting of ends and sides hinged together end-to-end, identical heads to close and brace the body against folding movement, said ends, sides and heads each comprising a plurality of slats united at their ends by cleats, the cleats on said sides being formed with uniformly shaped and spaced sets of openings therein, a plurality of studs on each head arranged to fit said openings, latch bolts on each head alined with said studs and adapted to be inserted into openings opposite those in which their companion studs are placed and means to secure said bolts in said openings.

3. In a shipping crate, a collapsible body, consisting of ends and sides hinged together end-to-end, identical heads to close the body, said ends, sides and heads each comprising a plurality of slats united at their ends by Copies of this patent may be obtained for ,five cents each, by addressing the cleats, the cleats on said sides being formed with similar sets of openings therein, a pluralityof studs on each head arranged to fit said openings, latch bolts on each head alined with said studs and adapted to be inserted into openings opposite those in which their companion studs are placed, means for shiftin said latch bolts and means to secure said bolts in said openings.

4. In a shipping crate, a collapsible body,

' consisting of side and end sections hinged together end-tc-end, identical heads for said body arranged to fit within said side and end sections and adapted to brace the same against racking movements, each head having a latch bar slidable thereon, latch bolts on said bar designed to cooperate with the side sections to secure said head upon said body and a resilient catch to lock said bolts.

5. In a shipping crate, a collapsible body, consisting of side and end sections hinged together end-to-end, identical heads for said body arranged to fit within said side and end sections and adapted to brace the same against racking movements, each head having studs secured at one side thereof and latch bolts upon the other side, a slide bar to which said bolts are secured and a resilient catch to lock said bolts, said studs and bolts being adapted to engage said side sections and secure the heads with respect to the body of the crate.

6. In a shipping crate, a body consisting of side sections and end sections hinged together at their ends, each section comprising a plurality of slats united by cleats, the cleats. of said side sections being formed with openings therein and said end sections being narrower than the side sections, heads for said body, each head comprising a plurality of slats united by cleats laid upon said slats, said heads being adapted to be severally applied to either side of the body, the slats at the ends of said heads being designed to fit snugly withinthe end sections and the outer cleats on said heads being designed'to fit snugly within the side sections, each head having studs thereon arranged to enter opensaid studs are placed,

of the ranged to normally abut against one lngs in the section opposite that in which latch bolts, the end of said strip being adapted to be depressed to free said bolts.

Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH JAMES ROBEJSEK.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

